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Janus Charity/DA Taylor Foundation

I have been waiting a while to write about this, but this is probably the most important agenda I will have going in to the 2010 season. Not only will I be racing for an amazing new team (Team Timex), but I will be working with the Janus Charity Foundation to raise money for the DA Taylor Foundation.  After speaking with the Board Members of the Foundation (also my best friends I grew up with) and with DA’s family, they all gave me their blessings to begin the fund raising process.

This gives a brief synopsis of DA’s life and his eventual battle with meningitis.

On March 20, 1995, D.A. Taylor died from meningitis as a teenager. His family and friends founded the D.A. Taylor Charitable Foundation in 2006 to honor D.A.’s spirit and the quintessential and symbolic good that he represented.

His existence naturally touched all of us, and it is our proud obligation to prolong that spirit through his name.

Anyone who came in contact with him knew he was a special guy. The kind of young man you never forget and want your children to emulate.

You can read the Mission statement that established the Foundation here.

The money I will be raising for the Foundation will go towards a collegiate scholarship. More detailed info below:

Scholarship

Financial aid to support a four-year college education will be awarded on an annual basis to at least one student from the state of Virginia who embodies all the good for which D.A. stood.

The scholarship will be administered and managed logistically by The Norfolk Foundation in Norfolk, VA, under the following guidelines as written by the Board of the D.A. Taylor Charitable Foundation:

The late D.A. Taylor believed that the best way for an individual to improve him or herself is to obtain a well-rounded education, preparing each person to become a productive member of society who could make lasting and positive contributions to his or her community. In memory of D.A. Taylor, the purpose of the fund shall be to provide scholarships for students attending high schools in South Hampton Roads who are in need of financial aid for post-secondary education at a four-year college or university. An applicant should display the qualities exhibited by D.A. Taylor, such as strong leadership and academic abilities, involvement in extra curricular activities, a commitment to helping others, and overall excellence inside and outside of the classroom.

Feel free to contact me or any of the Board members here. My goal is to raise $20,000 for the Foundation - culminating in Kona, October 2010 for the Ironman World Championships. I also plan to create a LARGE team to run the Va Beach Rock and Roll Half Marathon this Labor Day Weekend (Sep 5th).

More information on how and where to donate will be up soon (working on my fundraising home page now).

Hope everyone is doing well. 2010 is going to be an amazing year!